What can be done about damage done by elm leaf beetles?
Most of the damage has been done already by this time of year. The elm leaf beetle damages elm leaves by eating the surface of the leaf and leaving behind the dead, skeletal remains of the leaf. The result is that the elm tree appears brown from a distance, like it isn’t getting enough water or a limb or limbs are dead. Defoliation of the tree eliminates summer shade, reduces tree aesthetic value, and causes annoying leaf drop. Repeated, extensive defoliation seriously weakens elms and may cause trees to decline. Elm leaf beetle is one of the five most important insects damaging our urban forests in the United States and is the major pest of elm trees in Nevada. Adults are olive-green with black, longitudinal stripes along the margin and center of the back. Females lay their yellowish eggs in double rows of about 5 to 25 on the underside of leaves. Newly hatched larvae are black. The older larvae are about 1/3 inch long and have two black stripes down their sides, making them easy to d
